Bio

Connor Hellebuyck Bio

Nobody comes out of nowhere to have an NHL career, but Hellebuyck was close.

After playing with Odessa of the North American Hockey League for the 2011-12 season, the Commerce Township, Mich., native did not even crack NHL Central Scouting's list of the top 36 North American goalies eligible for the 2012 NHL Draft (he was selected by the Winnipeg Jets in the fifth round, at No. 130). But four years later, after Hellebuyck made 26 starts as a rookie for the Jets in 2015-16, he was so well regarded that he was named to Team North America for the World Cup of Hockey 2016.

Nobody comes out of nowhere to have an NHL career, but Hellebuyck was close.

After playing with Odessa of the North American Hockey League for the 2011-12 season, the Commerce Township, Mich., native did not even crack NHL Central Scouting's list of the top 36 North American goalies eligible for the 2012 NHL Draft (he was selected by the Winnipeg Jets in the fifth round, at No. 130). But four years later, after Hellebuyck made 26 starts as a rookie for the Jets in 2015-16, he was so well regarded that he was named to Team North America for the World Cup of Hockey 2016.

A crease-clogging presence at 6-foot-4 and 207 pounds, the self-described "big and boring" Hellebuyck plays a steady game based on seeing the puck, limiting his movement and trying to be in the right position. The approach worked wonders for Hellebuyck when Winnipeg called him up from the American Hockey League following an injury to Ondrej Pavelec.

Hellebuyck won his NHL debut on Nov. 27, 2015, against the Minnesota Wild, the first of three straight wins (he allowed one goal in each game). He got his first NHL shutout on Dec. 27, 2015, making 30 saves against the eventual Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins. Despite leading Jets goalies with a .918 save percentage and 2.34 goals-against average, Hellebuyck was sent back to the AHL in February when Pavelec was again healthy.

Even so, Hellebuyck finished the season tied for the team lead with 13 wins. Among rookie goalies who played in at least 10 games in 2015-16, Hellebuyck was fourth with a 2.34 GAA, tied for fifth with a .918 save percentage and tied for second with two shutouts.

The strong results in the NHL followed Hellebuyck's steady success at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell. Over two seasons of NCAA hockey, Hellebuyck allowed 84 goals in 53 games while helping his team win consecutive Hockey East championships. In 2014 he won the inaugural Mike Richter Award as the top goaltender in NCAA Division.